Bachelor Auction
by Natalie Elizabeth
Summary: Set after "The Limey". Castle is looking for love in all the wrong places. When he volunteered for a Bachelor Auction in attempt to help him get over Beckett, he get more than what he bargained for. {Check out Bachelor Auction by LittleLizzieZentara}
1. Chapter 1

Ok so I must give full credit to _**LittleLizzieZentara**_ for coming up with the bachelor auction story line. Last year she was telling me about her idea but needed help getting if off the ground. I thought it was a fantastic idea and I encouraged her to write it. I immediately started coming up with ideas on how to start it, how the auction could go. If anything I think I frustrated and confused her more. Ha ha. She liked my ideas but didn't think they would fit with her story line. However she did think that I should write my own version of her story. I was worried about plagiarism but she was leek well no I am giving you permission, so go ahead. I still wasn't sure but I was like no I want to read your version it sounds awesome. In the end she wrote the story for me as a Christmas present. Definitely one of my better presents. Her story is also called _**Bachelor Auction**_, so please check it out. Without her this would never have come about. So thanks Lizzie and thank her by going and reviewing her story too.

Hey Liz here is the secret story I was sorta telling you about. Hope you like it, thanks for letting me write it.

Big thanks to Lewis inNC for the very quick Beta which allowed me to get this story to you guys in time for Castle Monday .

Enjoy!

* * *

Bachelor Auction

By

Natalie Elizabeth

Beckett glanced at the empty seat beside her. It was a plain, ordinary seat—a little bit old—and she was surprised it hadn't been replaced with something better—more expensive. Regardless she still stared at it. She tried to tell herself the only reason she was looking at the chair was to take her eyes off her computer screen. Eye strain! She was trying to prevent eye strain. It had been a long day and she had been at her computer for a while writing up the notes from the last case. The truth was she had to look at her screen to avoid Castleless-chair eye strain.

He hadn't come in.

It wasn't like he came in for every single case. Sometimes he would ask the specifics, and if they were too mundane for him, he would stay home and write. Except he hadn't come in for a total of four murders.

Four!

What made things worse was that this murder was Castle-flavored. Superman had been murdered—well obviously not the real Superman, but a man dressed up as him. The victim had been celebrating his 30th birthday with a "Heroes and Villains" costume party. Well he had been until he was found dead in his bedroom.

She had called Castle when she had gotten the call. She even called him again when she had arrived at the crime scene. He still refused. So she had done something unthinkable, something so Castle. She had taken photos of the crime scene and sent them to him. It was a vain attempt to entice him to join her. He still refused. Not even a witty comment about the fact that Superman could have been killed by Kryptonite because there were no visible signs of trauma.

Nothing!

He just said he was busy writing. It was his job after all and she still had a job to do. They could solve cases without Castle; she just didn't want to. The truth was, if her mind hadn't been on Castle, the case may have taken longer to solve. Thinking about Castle and all his crazy theories had her coming up with one of her own. She had noticed that Superman was wearing lipstick, or at least there were smudges of it on his lips. Beckett recalled the episode from the Lois and Clark series where Superman had been kissed by a woman wearing Kryptonite-tainted lipstick—not that she thought for one minute that the victim had been killed by Kryptonite, rather than poison. It turned out Wonder Woman wasn't puking her guts out in the toilets because she was drunk. In between her retching she had confessed to the murder, probably because she thought she was going to die too. Once they knew what the poison was, Wonder Woman was able to be treated and was expected to make a full recovery—in jail.

Yet still Castle hadn't shown up.

Something was wrong. Something was different. Yet when she asked him, he gave her the same redundant reply. "Everything is fine."

Everything was not fine.

She knew that for a fact because that was her line. That was her line she had used on Castle when everything was far from fine.

Beckett shook her head as she tore her eyes away from his empty seat and back to screen. She was tired and really needed to get some sleep. She had been called out at 11 p.m. and had yet to go to bed, and it was now 3 p.m. Thankfully, once she was done she could go home. Blinking a few times, she forced herself not to look at his chair. It didn't help. Even staring at her screen, she could summon up the image of his chair or him.

When the elevator pinged, Beckett automatically looked up and was shocked when she saw Castle walk out. Surely this was an illusion, except she knew it wasn't. His face didn't hold the usual joy and delight she was so used to seeing.

What was he doing here? He had said he was busy. Was he there to see her? Beckett stood up and sent a smile his way. Castle stopped suddenly when he saw her. He then averted his gaze and walked over to one of the other officers. Beckett watched as he handed the female officer a piece of white paper. He then started walking around the precinct, handing over papers to all the female officers. Beckett frowned at him. What he was doing? He started walking towards her and she assumed he was going to hand her a piece of paper too. Was there some fundraiser he was trying to encourage people to go to? Or maybe some publicity event for the Nikki Heat novels. Instead he turned and headed towards the break room. Beckett followed him snatching the paper from one of the female officers. She perused the printed details and her eyes widened as she saw red. Beckett stalked into the break room. Castle was handing another officer a flyer. Since when did so many female officers work at the 12th?

"Castle what is the meaning of this?"

Castle turned to look at her as the officer scurried out.

"I think it's pretty obvious," he told her.

Beckett looked down at the paper in her hand.

"It says you have entered a bachelor auction."

Castle nodded at her and tried to walk past but she stopped him.

"Why are you entering a bachelor auction?"

Castle shrugged. "Well I am a bachelor, and it's for a good cause."

Beckett held up the paper for Castle to see. "Castle, it's to send 12 girls and their coach to L.A. to compete in a basketball championship."

Castle nodded. "Yeah, they need money for flights and accommodation."

"It's 12 girls. You probably spend more money on hair products in a month than what it will cost to send them to LA. Why are you putting yourself up for auction? Why not just donate the money?"

"I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone."

Beckett's brows rose. "Excuse me?"

"This way I help out their cause and I get a date out of it."

Beckett gulped. First he dates that dumb, slutty, blonde flight attendant and now this. What was going on?

"So you're doing this for a date?"

Castle shrugged. "Yeah. I've been single for a while now. Mother is always busy with her acting school, and Alexis will be going off to college soon. I'm starting to feel a little unloved."

Beckett was shocked and angry. "So, what? You think you're just going to fall in love with some random stranger who bids on you at an auction?"

Suddenly a scowl appeared on Castle face. "Yeah, well I tried to fall in love with a friend but that didn't work out to well, did it?"

He then pushed past her and walked over to the elevator.

Beckett turned around and watched as Castle walked away from her.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? He had tried to fall in love with a friend—tried, as in past tense—as in, no longer. What had happened? He had to be talking about her, unless he had fallen in love with Esposito. What did she do? Lanie said he was sick of waiting, but why now? Now, when she was so close.

Beckett walked out of the break room to go after Castle. The elevator pinged and he entered quickly. Castle's eyes locked with hers as the door to the elevator closed. She gasped. Was that pain she saw in his eyes? No, she was reading more into it. She was spending too much time with Castle, reading more into the situation. Beckett shook her head; no she wasn't wrong about this. It was because she spent so much time with Castle that she knew she was right about the look. He wasn't happy. He was in pain. She had to go after him. Beckett started striding towards the stairs.

"Ahh, Detective Beckett."

Beckett gritted her teeth.

"Yes, Sir," she turned to face Gates.

"Where are you going? You haven't finished your report yet."

Beckett sighed. "Just stretching my legs. I'll get back to it now."

"Mmm hmmm."

Beckett returned to her desk and this time didn't even glance at Castles chair. She quickly set about finishing her report. Once the report was done she could figure out what the hell was going on.

* * *

Beckett pushed through the swinging doors at the morgue.

"Lanie, look at this."

Beckett slammed down the piece of paper that was causing her so much grief.

"Hello, nice to see you too." Lanie looked up from the files she was going over.

"Look at it." Beckett pointed at the paper in front of the ME.

Lanie looked down and sighed. "Kate, I do not need to bid on a bachelor. What Javi and I have is complicated, but it works for us. Okay, is it healthy? Probably not mentally, but physically, wow. Javi does this thing where he twists—"

"Lanie."

"What?" Lanie asked, coming out of her dream like state.

Beckett shook her head. "No, Lanie. This isn't about you and Espo. Look at the names of the bachelors."

Lanie picked up the paper and read over the names.

"Mr Cooper, Vice Principal. Mr Quinn, Science teacher. Mr Bray, Abbie's dad." Lanie shook her head. "Am I supposed to know these people?"

Beckett's temper was increasing. "Look at the last bachelor."

Lanie looked at the paper again and then frowned when she saw what had made Kate so agitated.

"Castle! Why is he entering? It's not like this is some big celebrity auction; it's just for some school kids."

Beckett ran a hand through her hair as she began to pace. "Exactly."

"Castle's shoes probably cost more than what it will take to send these girls to L.A."

"I know," Beckett repeated. She then turned to look at her friend, distress clearly painted on her face. "What's going on Lanie? How did everything get so messed up?"

Lanie got up and walked over to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We talked about this Kate."

Beckett stepped away from her friend. "No, Lanie. NO! There has to be more to it. Castle, tired of waiting for me, makes no sense. This wasn't a gradual thing over time; this was sudden. Something had to have happened for him act like this. We don't go from holding hands at his mother's play and building theory to Castle making comments filled with subtext and him turning up at a crime scene with a DSB."

"DSB?" Lanie asked.

Beckett rubbed a hand over her face. "It stands for Dumb Slutty Blonde. I read it on the internet somewhere."

"Well at least he didn't sleep with the DSB."

Beckett's head snapped up. "He didn't? Wait, how do you know that?"

Lanie shrugged. "I asked Alexis."

Beckett's eyes widened. "You did what? Lanie!"

"Hey, I want to know what's going on with Castle too. You are not the only one around here who misses him."

Beckett bit her lip. It was true. The guys were acting a bit antsy and miserable. She thought the lack of practical jokes would make the work go faster. It didn't.

"So, what did Alexis say? I mean it's not like he's going to tell his daughter he's sleeping around."

Lanie sighed. "Well, I asked Alexis if she knew why he was acting different, and she shrugged. I think she knew why but didn't say. I then said we were worried that this DSB, as you call her, was after her father's money. Alexis said the only way that would happen was if she got pregnant, and there was no chance of that because they weren't sleeping together."

Beckett shook her head. "But it's not like she would know. I doubt Castle would flaunt his DSB in front of his daughter."

Lanie shrugged. "I asked the same thing. It seems Alexis had a little talk with her grandmother. Martha firmly believes nothing happened between the two of them. She says that Castle is too sad, too hurt, to do anything sexual. He also gets this I-just-got-laid look in his eyes and Martha hasn't seen it."

Beckett took a few deep breaths. So, Castle hadn't slept with that woman, which made her feel a bit at ease, but there was something that was still troubling her. Lanie said he was too sad and hurt. What had caused that? Did she do something, say something? If she didn't know what was going on then she couldn't fix it.

"So he didn't sleep with her, fine. But he did say he was looking for someone to love."

Lanie smiled at her.

"Then it's about time you told him to stop looking."

Beckett's lip trembled. "But Lanie—"

"The only butt is me kicking yours, girl. What are you afraid of? Loving him or losing him?"

Beckett shook her head.

Lanie took a step closer to her friend. "Stop lying, girl. You wouldn't be here otherwise."

Beckett took a step back and threw her hands up in the air. "Fine, okay. Both. I am scared of both, okay. I am scared to love him because I am scared that I'll lose him."

"You're losing him either way Kate."

Beckett ran a frustrated hand through her hair and turned to look back at Lanie.

"So what do I do?"

Lanie walked over to Kate and wrapped an arm around her.

"First you go home and get some rest. You look like crap, girl. Then you go to the ATM, withdraw as much money as you can, and you go and bid on your man."

"Lanie."

"Go."

Beckett ran a hand through her hair once more. Love and lose him, or lose him. Love him and lose him. Lose him. Beckett suddenly felt like throwing up. Love him.

"Okay."

* * *

Coming up next...

_Licking her lips Beckett took another deep breath. "Castle is here to look for love. I came to tell him he can stop looking."_

* * *

_Review and you will get more._

_Well you will get more regardless but one can hope for an inbox full of alerts reviews and favorites :)_

_Thanks for reading _


	2. Chapter 2

Shout out to _**Claire63** _for picking up on the slight Dr Quinn reference. I always have trouble coming up with last names of insignificant characters, so I always look around the room I am in. Dr Quinn was on tv, yeah for reruns!

Thanks Lewis in NC for being my Beta on this project

* * *

Bachelor Auction

By

Natalie Elizabeth

Beckett got out of the cab and hastily made her way over to the entrance of the school. She was late. The auction was set to start at 6:30 and it was already 6:45. She had done as Lanie asked; she had gone home and slept. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to set her alarm. Waking up late, she quickly showered and changed before heading to an ATM. There was a withdrawal limit, so she had to call Lanie. Thankfully, Lanie was hooking up with Espo, so Beckett was able to transfer money to both of them. They were then able to withdrawal the money for her. All of this running around led to her being even later. Beckett followed the directions down the hall of the school until she came across two girls sitting at a table in front of an open doorway.

"Hi, is it too late for the auction?" She hoped not. Otherwise she might have a fight on her hands. The way she was feeling she was not above hair pulling.

The girls looked at her. "Well, we've already started. But there are still a few men left."

Beckett bit her lip. "Has Richard Castle been auctioned off yet?"

The girl on the left frowned. "Who?"

The girl on the right patted her friends arm. "Oh, he's the guy who saw us doing stunts the other day when we were trying to raise money. You know, the old guy."

Beckett tried to hold her laughter in. She wondered what Castle would think if he realized these school girls thought he was old.

"Oh yeah, that guy."

"So, has he been auctioned off yet?" Beckett asked, worried the girls' banter could be delaying her from her future.

"Nope. He's supposed to go on last because he was a last minute addition."

Beckett smiled. He was still up for grabs and she had made her decision that she wanted to grab him—all over!

"So how much is it to get in, and how does it work?"

"$15. There are refreshments out, and more will come out afterwards so people can mingle with the bachelors they didn't win. We give you a ping pong paddle and you raise it when you want to bid on your man. We just need you to sign in—some sort of legal thing apparently."

Beckett looked at the ping pong paddle that was covered with shiny paper. It had a number in the center and had the words 'I want you' around the outer edge. Beckett gritted her teeth. Well it was true. Opening up her purse, she took out the required money and handed it to the girls. She wrote her name on the sheet and took her paddle.

"Good luck."

Beckett walked into the room where the auction was being held. A small stage had been erected with a big black curtain where she assumed the other bachelors were waiting. One piece of meat was being auctioned off to the hungry wolves at the moment. There were a large amount of filled seats along with many people standing at the back, some eating, others bidding. Beckett looked over the crowd and was glad when she didn't see anyone from the precinct. She had been vigilant about collecting all the flyers Castle had handed out.

"Detective Beckett, what are you doing here?"

Beckett froze when she heard a familiar voice. She turned to see Martha.

"Martha, hello."

Martha engulfed her in a hug and Beckett relaxed into it. She really needed that hug.

"Did Richard ask you to come?"

Beckett reluctantly extracted herself from the hug.

"No, in fact he avoided me. Martha what is going on?"

Martha simply shrugged at her. "What do you mean, Detective?"

The anger Beckett had felt earlier was returning. "Oh come on, Martha. Normally you have to drag Castle kicking and screaming to one of these events. Now he's volunteering. Something is going on with him."

"You noticed?"

Beckett sighed. "Of course I noticed. He has gone back to his old ways. He's barely at the precinct, and when he is there, he's acting like an ass."

A curious smile broke out on Martha's face. "Why do you even care, Detective?"

Beckett gulped. "Why would I care? Martha, he's my friend, and I'm worried he's going to do something stupid."

"And that's all it is."

Beckett opened her mouth but was caught off guard. "Umm . . . well, yes. He said he was here to look for love. I don't want some woman to take advantage of him when he's not thinking straight."

Martha shook her head. "Don't worry. Alexis and I are here to bid on him in case some blood sucker goes after him."

Beckett nodded her head. Okay, so Martha and Alexis had this. They wouldn't let Castle go home with a blood sucker. She looked around the room and saw quite a few nice normal looking people.

"But if the woman isn't a blood sucker?" she tentatively asked.

Martha shrugged. "Well, I want my son to be happy. You can go, Detective. We have this."

Martha tried to walk off but Beckett grabbed her hand. "No, Martha, wait!"

Beckett released Martha's hand when she realized she had almost man-handled Castle's mother.

"Yes?" Martha asked, rather amused.

Beckett took a deep breath. What did she do? What did she say? She had just had this conversation with Lanie only hours before.

"Kate, dear, why are you here?"

Licking her lips, Beckett took another deep breath. "Castle is here to look for love. I came to tell him he can stop looking."

Beckett held her breath waiting for any reaction from Martha. Eventually the woman smiled and pulled her back into a hug. Beckett smiled and hugged Martha back. It was a good sign. She had Castle's mother's support. It felt so good to be hugged by this woman, but what she really wanted to do now was hug her son.

"Next up on the auctioneer's block . . . Mr Sully. He's the English teacher at the school. He's in his late 50's, but still has a lot of good miles on him."

"Oh, that's the one I was interested in."

Beckett stood there shocked as Martha turned away from her and held up her paddle.

"$50," the older, red-haired woman yelled ou..

"Gram, what are you doing? You're supposed to bid on Dad. He's worried because he saw that officer from robbery who keeps trying to touch his butt."

Martha waved Alexis off. "Oh, don't worry, dear. Detective Beckett is here."

Beckett watched as Alexis looked around until she spotted her.

"Hello, Alexis."

"Why are you here, Detective?" Alexis sneered at her.

Beckett cleared her throat. She had dealt with one member of Castle's family. Now it was time to deal with the other.

"I'm here to bid on your father."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Why? You don't want him. Oh I get it; you don't want anyone else to have him either. Are you worried he won't be chasing after you like a little puppy?"

"No."

"Then what?" she practically yelled.

Beckett looked around nervously as a few people turned to look at them. She took a few steps back and moved over to an empty area in the corner, ushering Alexis to follow her.

"Alexis, I don't know what your problem is with me but—"

"My problem is the way you treat my dad. He loves you so much and you use that against him."

Beckett was shocked by this. "What? No, Alexis, you've got it wrong."

"Have I?" the young woman asked. "Well, what do you call stringing him along then?"

Beckett shook her head. "I haven't been stringing him along."

"You have," Alexis ground out. "You led him to believe that he had a chance to be with you. You lied."

"No, I didn't," Beckett insisted.

"Yes, you did. You heard my dad say he loved you and you lied about it."

Beckett gasped and her eyes narrowed. "How do you know about that?"

"Dad told me. I wanted to know why he was so miserable and he eventually told me. You told him you didn't remember anything from the shooting but you remember every single second. You remember Dad holding you, desperately pleading with you to stay with him. You remember him saying he loved you and you lied about it. You told a suspect, but you lied to my father."

Tears started to appear in Beckett's eyes at the emotion Alexis was showing for her father. Castle knew. Castle knew she had heard him. Castle had heard her interrogation. Oh no. Beckett felt as if her world was crumbling.

"I didn't mean for him to find out that way, Alexis."

"You mean you didn't mean for him to find out at all."

Beckett shook her head. "No, Alexis. I wanted to tell him. I was waiting until I was ready."

"Ready for what?"

"Ready to be the person your father needs."

Alexis frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"I've been going to therapy."

"Therapy?" Alexis asked.

Beckett nodded. "I wasn't as strong as I thought I was."

Alexis scoffed. "Yeah, like I'm really supposed to believe that."

Beckett sighed. "I'll prove to it you." Beckett reached into her bag. She pulled out her purse and it snagged on the straps, falling from her grasp. The purse dropped to the groud and burst open. Beckett shook her head; she wasn't normally that clumsy. She bent down to pick it up and gather up a few of her cards and cash that had spilled out.

"That's a lot of cash to be carrying around."

Beckett looked up at Alexis as she shoved the items back in her purse.

"Well, I needed it to bid on your father."

Beckett stood up and pulled out her appointment card and showed it to Alexis. Alexis looked at the card, turned it over and then handed it back, an unamused expression on her face.

"How much did you get out?"

Beckett tidied her purse before putting it back in her bag.

"2000. I had to get Lanie and Esposito to withdraw some for me to get that much out in one hit."

Alexis raised her brows. "That's a lot of money to bid on my dad."

Beckett shrugged. "Well, I needed to win."

"It's not like the person who wins is going to marry him."

Beckett shrugged. "Well, this is my grand gesture."

"Grand gesture?" Alexis asked.

"The grand, romantic gesture. You know, like in the movies. The woman chases all over the city looking for her man, when she really could have waited for him at his home or just texted him. Well, this is my grand gesture."

"Do you think dad is going to be impressed with you spending $2000 on him?"

Beckett shrugged. "It's a start."

"So what made you decide to go to therapy? The Beckett I know would never admit she was weak."

Beckett grimaced. She hated being referred to as weak but Alexis was right. The old Beckett wouldn't have.

"Your father is what made me go to therapy. Before I got shot, we got into a fight. He told me I kept dating men I didn't love, and he was right. When he told me he loved me, it scared me. I know I come across as bad-ass Beckett, but I cry and bleed just like everyone else. Everyone who has loved me has ended up hurting or leaving me, and I couldn't go through that pain again."

"But Dad wouldn't hurt you. He wouldn't leave you. You're the one who left him."

Beckett nodded. "I know I did. I run before they can hurt me. The truth is I got hurt by others and I was partly to blame. I was so scared to get hurt that I closed my heart off to love. I ended up pushing people away because of it. Getting shot made me realize that I couldn't do it anymore. Life was too short. I broke up with Josh and went to my father's cabin to recover—to heal. I thought I could fix myself, but I was wrong.

Beckett raked her hand through her hair as the memories flooded back. She took a few deep breaths trying to calm her self.

"The First suspect I chase after and I freeze when he pulls a gun on me. The second time it happened, your father coaxed me through it. He was right there beside me like he always is. I knew then that I needed help to become the woman your father deserves. He needs someone who can be open and honest with him—someone who is willing to share herself. I didn't think it would take me this long, but I know I'm a different person than I was six months ago. I still feel like I need time but it's obvious I can't expect your father to wait forever. He said he was starting to feel unloved. I hope me coming here tonight changes that."

"So you love my father."

Beckett smiled at Alexis. "I think he should hear that confession before anyone else does."

"Do you think he wants to hear it?"

"I have to try."

"Even if it means wasting $2000."

Beckett shrugged. "The money doesn't matter. Castle does."

Alexis looked her over before walking off. Beckett hung her head down in defeat. She knew it was going to be tough facing Castle; she just didn't think it would be this one. Beckett watched as Alexis walked over to Martha who was currently bidding on a much younger man. Obviously, during her talk with Alexis, the previous bachelor had been auctioned off. It wasn't deterring Martha however, as she kept raising her paddle. Alexis unwound the scarf from Martha's neck. She then turned and walked towards her.

"Here."

Alexis placed the scarf over her hair and then wound it around her neck.

"What are you doing?" Beckett questioned.

"Do you have sunglasses?"

Beckett shook her head. "No."

Alexis opened her bag and retrieved a pair.

"Put these on."

Beckett did what she was told but was confused.

"Why?"

Alexis sighed. "Because Dad is still really upset about everything. If he sees you bidding on him he's likely to walk out. We need to disguise you and find a seat where he can't see you properly. Come on."

Alexis walked back over to the seated area and Beckett hurried after to her. Finding a seat off in a corner, Beckett sat and then checked out her view. She could barely see the stage from the angle but she was sure the auctioneer would be able to see her paddle.

"Stay low and disguise your voice if you need to yell out. The trick is to wait until the last minute to bid, okay?"

Beckett nodded. She had done undercover work before, but she listened to everything Alexis had to offer her.

"Thank you."

Alexis turned to look at her. The girl seemed a little angry still. "Detective Beckett, you've made my father sadder than I've ever seen him. You've also made him happier than any other woman he's been with. If you make him happy, then I am happy. If you make him sad, then we have a problem."

Beckett nodded.

"I'll go over to the other side to try to distract Dad, okay?"

Beckett nodded; it was a good plan. No doubt Castle would look for his daughter or mother in the crowd. The farther away Alexis was from her, the better.

"Woohoooo!"

Beckett turned to see Martha striding towards the stage, waving her paddle in the air.

Beckett bit her lip and looked over to Alexis and watched as the poor girl covered her face. Martha was making a bit of a scene, although everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Especially the 45-year-old man Martha had quickly claimed after she had thrown money on the table. The kiss was something that even had Beckett turning her head in embarrassment.

"Okay, ladies. There has been a change in our schedule. Our next bachelor was running late and has just gotten here, so we're going to give him a few minutes to freshen up before we offer him to you ladies or gentlemen . Not to worry, we have one more bachelor left. He's a mystery writer who has kindly donated his time for this cause. Please welcome Richard Castle."

Beckett's breath caught at the sound of his name. She watched as he walked out on the stage and threw the crowd a smile. She ducked behind the person in front of her just as he turned his gaze towards her. After a few seconds she sat back up again and watched Castle strut around on the small stage. He was being his usual, jovial self, but she could tell there was something different about him. Even from the distance, and with Alexis's sunglasses on, she could see his smile was restricted to his mouth. Normally when he was happy she could see it in his eyes too. They really were the windows to the soul, and from the look of it, his soul was bleeding.

"Okay, we will start the bidding at $20."

"$50!"

Beckett turned to see who had placed a bid. Damn it. It was that officer from robbery. On more than one occasion Beckett had to create a distraction in order to get her away from Castle. Well, Beckett wasn't about to let her steal her man. She went to raise her paddle but caught a look from Alexis. No, that wasn't the plan.

"$60"

"$80"

"$100"

Beckett's head whipped around as the price for Castle skyrocketed in a matter of seconds. She gripped her paddle tight and pressed her arm hard against her hip in an attempt not to raise it. The price increased rather quickly, and he was creating quite a bit of interest. He was already beating all of the other bachelors, and the action wasn't over yet. The price was still within reach, and Beckett was glad this wasn't a celebrity auction. Otherwise, she would have no hope.

"The highest bid is $400," The auctioneer announced. "Do I hear $420?"

Beckett bit her lip and looked around. No one else was raising their paddle and the robbery officer was looking very pleased with herself.

"That's $400 going once."

Beckett looked at Alexis who nodded at her.

"$400 going twice."

"500," Beckett yelled out in a high-pitched voice, thrusting her paddle into the air.

Her bid had everyone in the room turning to look at her. Beckett suddenly felt insecure, which was unusual for her. She stared down killers for a living; this was just a bunch of desperate women. Although thinking about it, she would rather stare down killers.

"Okay, we have a bid for $500. Do I hear $520"

Beckett almost raised her paddle again until she realized it was her bid that was the highest at the moment

"550."

Oh no. If that's the way she was going to play it, Beckett was ready.

"$700," Beckett yelled out this time, standing.

"$725," Officer 'Robbery' said meekly, but standing up too, as if her height would give more weight than her measly $25 raise.

Beckett turned to look at the officer, glad for the disguise. She held her paddle proudly in the air as if she were Lady Liberty, and honestly it did feel liberating.

"$1000."

The crowd collectively gasped. Beckett raised her brows at her opponent willing her to beat that price. The officer looked pained before she sat down in defeat. Beckett smiled in triumph.

"That's $1000 going once."

Beckett looked over the room daring anyone else to challenge her.

"$1000 going twice."

Beckett bit her lip. She was so close.

"Sold to the lucky, mysterious lady. Come up and claim your prize."

* * *

Authors Note: Thank you to all those who reviewed, Fav'ed, Alerted. Wow was not expecting that response. Simply fantastic

Now get me through Easter with my insane family by reviewing again

* * *

Next on the third and final chapter for Bachelor Auction

_"Castle you are interpreting me wrong. I didn't lie because I don't feel the same. I lied because I do."_

_Castle stared at her for a few seconds before closing his eyes and shaking his head._

_"I' m sorry. What?"_

* * *

_Come on review , you know you want to. _


	3. Chapter 3

Big thanks as always to LewisInNC for the editing and LittleLizzieZentara for the story idea.

Happy Easter

* * *

Bachelor Auction

By

Natalie Elizabeth

Beckett strode towards the stage and her prize. She quickly dealt with the tedious task of handing over her money and signing some sort of waiver. Turning to claim her prize, she saw the smile quickly slip from his face as he looked at her. A scarf and sunglasses were enough to disguise her from a distance, but he had obviously recognised her immediately from up close.

"Hi," she offered, nervously biting her lip.

He didn't say anything; simply grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off the stage.

"Well it looks like they're off to a flying start," the auctioneer told the crowd.

There was laughter from the crowd, but Beckett knew that Castle dragging her off the stage was no laughing matter. His grip on her wrist was tight, and under normal circumstances she would never let a man handle her that way. Castle took them behind the curtain as the next bachelor stared at them in shock as he made his way on stage. Dragging her over to the corner, he released her hand before walking away. He ran a hand through his hair.

"You can remove the disguise now, Detective."

"Right." Beckett reached up and took the glasses and scarf off. "I need to give them back to Martha and Alexis."

Castle turned to look at her. "My mother and daughter were in on this. How did you get them to go along with your charade?"

Beckett shrugged. "I told them the truth."

Castle scoffed. "That would be a first."

Beckett bit her lip. He was angry and he had a reason to be—at least partly.

She took a step towards him trying to close the physical and mental distance between them.

"You told me today that you were feeling unloved, and I want you to know that's the last thing l wanted. I'm sorry my actions made you feel that way."

Castle shrugged. "You can't help the way you feel."

"No, I can't, and yet I tried to run from those feelings anyway."

Castle narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you talking about? You mean run from me—from my feelings."

Wrapping her arms around body to give herself comfort, Beckett sighed. "When you told me you loved me, I got scared."

"You don't get scared," he told her.

"Maybe not of the dark and bad guys, no. Of love, yes. You're not the kind of person to throw around the 'I love yous'. Like me, you've been hurt, and I didn't want to be the person to hurt you again."

"Telling me you don't feel the same way would have hurt less than you lying about it."

Beckett reached out a hand to him, but he stepped back, this time hitting the wall.

"Castle, you're misinterpreting me. I didn't lie because I don't feel the same. I lied because I do."

Castle stared at her for a few seconds before closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"I feel the same way."

Castle's eyes widened. "Then why didn't you say anything."

Beckett shook her head. "I thought you understood that day I spoke to you after your book signing."

He ran a hand over his face. "I thought you meant that you were interested in dating me. Not that you were already in…in lo…"

"In love with you," Beckett offered.

Castle took in an unsteady breath. "Yeah."

"I told you the truth that day. The wall inside of me was preventing me from having the relationship I wanted. I want a relationship where I can be open and honest with my partner—a relationship full of unrestricted love. I thought I could do it on my own though. Just like I thought I could come back to the precinct and be a cop after a three-month absence. I couldn't face my first suspect, just like I couldn't break down this wall on my own. You helped me face my fears at work, Castle, so I could do my job. I accepted help and the world didn't end. So I sought help to get rid of this wall. I've been seeing a therapist ever since then. He has been helping me with my mom, and you, and me."

"You started seeing a therapist for me?"

Beckett nodded.

"I just wanted to be perfect for you."

He laughed.

"If you say I am perfect, Castle, I will shoot you."

Castle shook his head. "Okay, I won't, but why would you need to be perfect for me. I am far from perfect."

"I know, Castle, but I wanted to be better than I was."

"I can understand that. It's the way I felt after first meeting you. You helped me be a better man. I could have helped you be a better woman if that's what you wanted."

Beckett shook her head. "I didn't want to be the damsel that you had to rescue, Castle. I wanted to be the strong person you believe me to be. I wanted to be free to love you. I was scared that if I started something with you before I was ready that I would eventually push you away."

"Why?"

Beckett shrugged. "Because that's what I do. I push people away because I can't open up to them."

"But you have opened up to me."

"Not like I should have. Not completely. I wanted to be able to dive in with you, Castle—to have both feet firmly planted on the right side of the door. I wanted you to feel the way you make me feel."

"And how is that? "

"Loved, but also safe," she told him sincerely.

"I always feel safe when I'm with you."

"Your body was safe, but your heart wasn't. While I was messed up, your heart wasn't safe from me. Tonight is a prime example. I proved myself right. I hurt you because I couldn't be honest with you. You wouldn't be here now if I'd been able to open up to you."

"You explained why."

Beckett shook her head. "Just because I have a reason, doesn't make it right."

"So if you weren't ready, then why did you just pay $1000 for a date with me?"

Beckett could hear the humor in his voice.

"Because I didn't want someone like Officer Robbery to get her hands on you."

"Officer Robbery?" Castle questioned.

Beckett shrugged. "I don't know her name. It was either 'Officer Robbery' or 'the bitch who tried to steal my man.'"

"Your man"

Beckett waved the slip she had been given when she handed over her money. "Yeah, this says I'm entitled to a night of fun with insert bachelor's name here."

Castle smiled. "Insert bachelor's name here, huh?"

Beckett shrugged. "I guess I was in too much of a rush to write the name of my bachelor on a piece of paper. It doesn't matter though; he has written his name on my heart."

Castle threw back his head and laughed. "You really do need to see a therapist if you're spouting corny lines like that."

Beckett rolled her eyes but smiled. He was right. It was corny, but she figured he would appreciate the symbolism. "I have an appointment next week. Will you come with me?"

Castle quickly became serious. "You want me to go with you?"

Beckett nodded. "I'm still not quite where I want to be, but I was thinking we could tackle the last bit together. Maybe if we went to see my therapist, we could discover what we both need to make this relationship last. I want us to last."

"Me too. I'll do whatever it takes. Whatever you need, whatever you need me to do. Just ask?"

"Kiss me."

"I don't think that was part of the bachelor auction agreement," Castle joked stepping closer.

Beckett smiled. "Well, someone better tell your mother that."

Castle stopped. "What?

"She won the bachelor before you. You didn't know?"

Castle shook his head. "I was too busy trying to talk myself into going out there."

"You didn't want to go out there?

"No, I wanted you."

Beckett closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well now you can have me." She then leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Castle didn't hesitate to pull her closer. He held her tightly before running his hand over her body and gripping her butt.

"Okay, now I need therapy. First Gram, then you two. Can I have the name of your therapist, Detective Beckett?"

Beckett extracted herself from Castle's embrace and turned to look at the young woman who was covering her eyes with her hand.

"Sorry, Alexis," she told Castle's daughter.

"Sorry, pumpkin."

Alexis parted her fingers and peaked through them. "It's okay. You guys kissing is a good thing. I just don't need to see it." Realizing they weren't kissing, she removed her hand. "Thankfully, Gram and her man left before any more people could complain about their PDA."

Beckett bit her lip at the word "More." More people—which meant there had been others apart from Alexis.

"Gram said not to wait up for her. I was just wondering if you were going to tell me the same and if I should just call the car to take me home."

"Ahhh…now…umm…"Castle stammered in front of his daughter.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm hungry," Beckett addressed the two Castles.

Alexis frowned. "Don't the two of you want to be alone?" she asked awkwardly.

Beckett shrugged. "Well, I'd like to leave here and spend time with just the two of you. My treat. I still have $1000 that I was willing to spend."

Alexis smiled. "If you're sure?"

Beckett nodded and then turned to look at Castle. "Well?"

"Sure. Wait. Why do you have $1000 to spend? Did you win the lottery and not tell me?"

"Detective Beckett was willing to pay up to $2000 for you, Dad," Alexis informed her father

Castle raised his brows at the woman. "Really?"

Beckett shrugged. "It was my way of making a grand, romantic gesture."

Castle frowned.

"Like in the movies," his daughter told him.

Castle's mouth dropped open. "Did you race all over the city to find me?"

"I raced from my apartment," Beckett told him.

Castle bristled. "Close enough." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. "You raced across the city for me. You got into a bidding war for me." Castle placed a hand to his chest and batted his eyes. "I'm touched."

Beckett rolled her eyes. Now that was going too far with the corniness. "I'll touch you alright."

Castle gasped in shock. "Detective! Not in front of my daughter."

Beckett pulled Castle's arm away from her.

"You're right. I do need therapy." Beckett started to walk over to Alexis who was laughing, but stopped when she felt a hand on her wrist again.

She turned to see Castle giving her his puppy dog look.

"I'm sorry. I just can't believe you went to all that trouble, all for me."

Beckett shrugged. "You're worth it. And it's the least I can do, considering what I put you through."

Castle mouth twitched into a smile. "I wouldn't go that far, but thank you."

Beckett smiled and twisted her hand so she was now holding his. "So, dinner?"

Castle grinned. "Yeah that sounds like a good place to start."

Beckett bit her lip then smiled. "Yeah, a new start."

The end

* * *

And that's all folks. Hope you liked it. Hope I did Lizzies original story justice.

Always looking for new ideas so throw them at me.

Oh and seriously please review. I am already dreading Easter with the BIL. I need something to distract me and tons of review will hopefully stop me from doing anything drastic. (To him)


End file.
